Sharp Corp. said Monday its net profit for the October-December quarter rose 27 percent to 17.76 billion yen on strong sales of liquid crystal display TVs and cell phone handsets.
The Osaka-based company said sales for the quarter amounted to 580.46 billion yen, up 10 percent from a year earlier.
Sharp reported continued sales growth of LCD TVs, with screen sizes of 30 inches and bigger posting a steep increase in sales at home and abroad.
The company cannot keep up with demand for its LCD TVs, despite expanding production capacities, Sharp corporate director Tetsuo Onishi said.
Sales of cell phone handsets were also brisk, thanks to the popularity of camera-equipped phones.
The expansion of the high-resolution camera-phone market helped lift Sharp's electronics components business, which manufactures small LCD panels and CCD and CMOS imaging sensors that serve as an eye for digital cameras.
Sales of electronic components grew 32 percent during the quarter.
But downward price pressure on conventional consumer electronics, such as cathode-ray tube TVs, videocassette recorders and general home appliances, dampened the company's otherwise hefty growth in earnings, officials said.
Sales of home appliances dropped 13 percent during the quarter following steep price falls of microwave ovens and washing machines, they said.